


A Foot in Front of a Peg Leg

by fuzzy_white_tomatoes



Category: How to Train Your Dragon (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Zombie Apocalypse, F/M, Friendship, Multi, Post-Zombie Apocalypse, Survival
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-13
Updated: 2019-10-11
Packaged: 2020-01-12 09:48:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 14,136
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18444071
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fuzzy_white_tomatoes/pseuds/fuzzy_white_tomatoes
Summary: The zombie virus has ravaged humanity and survivors need to live with the unintended consequences of growing up being part of the food chain once more. As important as it is to survive, some life lessons don't change, whether you're in the apocalypse or not.Hiccup and Astrid are helping out their colony by scavenging for much needed supplies. Out in the wild lands and away from the safe walls of Berk, will they survive?





	1. I spy yellowed bandages, a scarlet halo, and beauty products

**Author's Note:**

> Really want to thank Kasami-Sensei’s the walking Disney/Pixar series for this train of thought that manifested itself into getting me to be creative.
> 
> Please go check out their work.

The whine of a whetstone on metal greeted Hiccup as he entered the utilities supplies closet he and Astrid have made their base of operations. Though small, they chose this particular closet because it was situated on the second floor of what used to be a Post Office Distribution Centre. The hallway leading to the room gave them a straight line of sight for all incoming hostiles and the large window at the back of the room, could be used as a quick exit. Not to mention Astrid and Hiccup had spent their first 5 hours barricading the said hallway making it difficult for any shambling undead to make it down their corridor accidentally.

  
It’s been 6 years since the zombie virus hit, to be honest, Hiccup finds it harder and harder to remember life before The Fall. At first, countries and governments collapsed, those in large cities were quickly over taken, the virus worked too fast in crowded populations and food supplies were compromised. It wasn’t that the shuffling undead were fast nor smart, they just merely overwhelmed all healthy groups in their path by sheer numbers alone.

  
Now that survivors have gathered into small colonies, they were making a small semblance of a society again. Agriculture was once again taken seriously and grown for survival, and the colonies each found unique ways to keep their territories zombie-free or else they fell. Although their colony of Berk has finally managed to find themselves stable in what felt like a life time of fighting for survival, they were in dire need of the supplies they couldn’t grow or harvest. After a long consulting process and many awkward silence dinners at the Haddock family table, the stewing chief of Berk finally relented and allowed Hiccup to go on his much-requested scavenging tour. On the exception that he had a chaperone. Of course, who better for the job than the capable, axe throwing, perfect Astrid to take the job of baby-sitting head-in-the-clouds-Hiccup?

  
The rays of the setting sun came through the window, basking the whole room in an amber glow. Astrid sat on the edge of her sleeping bag her focused blue eyes never leaving her task, axe in one hand and whetstone in the other, they were rubbed together again and again. Hiccup knew from experience she’s counting the number of strokes she’s completed on each side of the blade.

  
Hiccup smiled at the large deerhound occupying the space at foot of their sleeping bags, Stormfly gives him a quick sniff and lays her head down again, eyes focused back at the door.

  
“Look what I found,” Hiccup sits down in front of his companion, showing the two white boxes he’s found from his scavenging. “They’re First-Aid kits. They were tucked under the shelves in the break room. The one on the wall was long gone, looters must’ve been here first.”

  
Astrid leans her axe on the cupboard next to her and slides over to see what’s inside the boxes. “Hiccup, these bandages are yellow. And that Annual Date Check Chart was last filled in years before even The Fall.”

  
“What happened to beggars can’t be choosers?”

  
“Are _you_ willing to use yellowed bandages?”

  
“Maybe? They’ll still be more sterile than anything we currently have, right?”

  
“Fair point, put them with the lot,” Astrid gestures towards the pile of items they’ve decided to take back with them. “We’ll have to sort through them. Figure out what we’re actually capable of carrying back and what we’ll leave for our next trip.”

  
“N-Next trip?” said Hiccup. Hopeful, because Astrid has been a quiet travelling partner this whole time and not that they should be loud, but Hiccup just couldn’t read her. He hoped beyond hope she actually considered another outing with him and wasn’t seeing this as a total chore. Sure, she did have to pull him back from walking into a group of undead that one time, but Hiccup felt he really showed his own survival skills during these pass three days together.

  
Five more days till they were both expected back at Berk. Hiccup had five more days to show Astrid he wasn’t absolutely useless.

  
“We definitely have too much for just the two of us to carry home,” nodded Astrid. “This place is nice, not too many zombies and other looters have picked this place clean yet.”

  
“That’s why I chose here!” said Hiccup enthusiastically. “It’s just in the suburbs of the old city, we’re in what used to be a small business district and only people who did work around these parts would’ve known this exact address. If there wasn’t anything here, we could’ve easily –”

  
The black cat perched above Hiccup’s head suddenly awoke and let out a hiss. Astrid’s quickly covered Hiccup’s mouth with the palm of her hand, her other reaching for her axe. Stormfly perked up, sitting upright, waiting.

  
From beyond that closet door, the sounds of shuffling and low moaning permeated down the hallway. The sound shouldn’t be audible to human ears but all the same, Hiccup could’ve sworn he heard it. If he closed his eyes, he could hear air escaping wind bag lungs and creeping over dried out vocal cords accompanied by the sound of uneven footsteps. These sounds still haunt his dreams.

  
“Breathe Hiccup,” whispered Astrid. “Try to control your breathing.”

  
Hiccup glanced at his shaking hands, his nails will leave marks on his palms for sure. He focused on drawing oxygen through his nose and into his chest. Suddenly, Astrid’s face was filled his field of vision as she drew closer. “They’re down the hall, but we’re quiet. There’s nothing here to draw their attention. They can’t hear us and we just need to wait them out,” reasoned Astrid quietly. “We can keep quiet, right?” Hiccup nodded.

  
So, they stayed, gazing into each other’s eyes and Astrid hand still covering his mouth, in what felt like an eternity. With her back to the glowing windows, the fading light made her blond hair a fiery red. The scarlet halo over her head was mesmerizing, a Valkyrie here to take him away. Her rough hands softly held his face, and Hiccup was suddenly reminded of his own lack of hygiene. It’s been almost a week since he’s properly used soap or a tooth brush. Hiccup could feel his heart sped up again, not for fear of the ever-existing doom lurking outside their supplies closet, but the vomit inducing butterflies in his stomach every time he feels like he’s once again making a fool of himself in front of others. Astrid suddenly felt far too close and not close enough at the same time.

  
Then the two animals in the room visibly relaxed and Astrid lifted her hand from his mouth. “Thanks,” he murmured as they parted, hoping she wouldn’t notice the glow on his cheeks, maybe she’ll think it because of the sun.

  
Toothless leapt onto Hiccup’s lap, purring and begging for belly scratches. Hiccup absentmindedly ran his hand through his cat’s black fur, still trying to accept what just happened. Had Astrid really just comforted him without biting his nose off? “Thanks for the heads up, bud.”

  
“We should bring him tomorrow while we’re scavenging,” said Astrid, settling down in her sleeping bag. Her axe left within arm’s reach and Stormfly dutifully beside her.

  
“Sounds great, will you be our canary in the coal mines, bud?” Toothless replied with a hearty meow.

  
“Okay, that’s a plan,” came the reply from the sleeping bag. “You’ll wake me up for my shift?”

  
“I will,” promised Hiccup. “Good night, Astrid.”

  
“G‘night Hiccup.” And to Hiccup’s envy, Astrid promptly falls asleep. How does she do that? One would think after skirting with death like the one a few minutes ago, she’d have too much adrenaline to even lie down. He supposes it could be her scout job she does for Berk. She regularly sees the zombies up close and personal.

  
At Berk, once a large enough group of zombies amasses at the gates and walls, a scout is sent out to lure them away before they can topple their defenses. The scout uses themselves as bait to draw the undead to follow them into a trap or anywhere where their uneven feet and decaying hands can’t help them climb out of. All the teens Hiccup’s age has completed a scout’s run before, as all it requires is the ability to jog briskly ahead of the shuffling zombies and lure them into a ravine or embankment. Even Fishlegs and his tendency to freak out has done it! And yet, Hiccup, the Chief’s son, haven’t been allowed to do the simplest of defense tasks for his colony.  
Hiccup, the skinny offspring of Stoick the Vast, is relegated to metalwork at the forge.

  
There’s no use getting angry about it now, at least his father finally allowed him beyond the walls on a mission he, himself, has thought up and planned. Albeit with a chaperone, though one he could hardly complain about. And so far, everything has gone well. They’ve taken two days to walk here, spent the today quietly amassing some much-needed supplies, and will go home afterwards. Easy Peasy.

  
Hiccup looked around, now what to do for the next few hours. He turned on his flashlight as the setting sun no longer provided enough light to see detail with. He made sure to not point the light out the window where it could potentially draw unwanted attention. Looking at the pile of boxes they’ve been collecting, Astrid was right. There is definitely too much for the two of them to bring back alone. The colony had needs like the herb kit, clothing of all sizes, soap, water filters, and a tool kit. But what about the many books they found? Jugs of vinegar? A stack of diaries? Six-year-old beauty products? Or how about stuffed animals? And what is in this large box?

  
Hiccup moved the smaller items from the large box they were on top of. He had thought the smaller items were resting on the floor but now he sees that he’s been mistaken. How had Astrid even gotten this pass the obstacles they’ve set up yesterday? Hiccup smiled and knew how he was going to occupy himself with for the next few hours.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, just wondering, is anyone willing to use 6 year old beauty products/skin moisturizer? or yellowed bandages? 
> 
> What is the worst thing you would be willing to use during the apocalypse?


	2. I spy a '6', a cocktail, and a tattoo

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Adventures of Hiccup, Astrid and Toothless

“No, Hiccup,” said Astrid sternly as the two make their way down a hallway.

“Aww. C’mon, it’ll be worth it! We can bring loads more back with us if we use it,” said Hiccup, crawling over an overturned filing cabinet.

“Which sounds great in theory, but I’m saying that a wagon is too unwieldy to be practical. It took us two days to get here, that’s two full days we’re going to have to tug a giant WHITE, wagon behind us,” reasoned Astrid. She closed her eyes, and wished for the first time that her travel companion wasn’t so eccentric. He was creative down to his core and always saw things differently; which was normally brilliant when options are seen as privilege in this apocalyptic reality but once in a blue moon his solutions missed the mark.

“But I spent all night putting it together.”

“Which you’ve done a great job assembling it, but I intended to use it when we came back with more people.”

“Can’t we have Stormfly pull it?” asked Hiccup.

“You’re _not_ going to use Stormfly as a sled dog,” Astrid said evenly. “Hiccup, I’m telling you this from experience. Yes, this place is great and we’ve found a lot of useful supplies. But, its too dangerous if we get greedy. We have to lug it _all_ back and no one is going thank us if we died on along the way when we find ourselves unable to outrun some walkers. _Please_ , your dad assigned me to come with you here because of my experience, and I’m telling you now, mobility is your greatest ally here.” Astrid turned to look him in the eye.

“Fine you win, but don’t think I won’t be the first to volunteer to come back here,” said Hiccup dramatically.

At the end of the hallway was a metal door with a small glass window. Astrid peered into the window, and gestured Hiccup to be quiet. 

Astrid eased the door open and poked her head in; she heard the soft rustling of clothing from where she stood in the doorway. Looking around the sorting facility with boxes strewn around the room, she tried to count the figures gathered further in the facility but quickly gave up. Using slow and deliberate movements, she gestured to Hiccup to follow her in. The large doors of gate 6 leading to the parking lot were left open, Astrid inwardly cussed. Of course, that’s how the undead got in. The previous looters must’ve left them open and now the zombies have wandered in.

The building once had to process and ship tens of thousands of parcels daily. These twenty industrial doors were built for multiple trucks to onload parcels quickly for distribution. Large and electronically operated, Astrid had no doubt they would be impossible to safely close just between Hiccup, herself, and a group of zombies loitering around the gate. Hiccup released a shaky breath behind her when he sees the two hundred or so zombies. Toothless gave a hiss in their general direction, luckily none of the undead reacted to the trio slipping into the room.

Taking Hiccup’s hand, she led them towards the back where the parcels were sorted but thanks to that fateful day 6 years ago, never to be delivered. Mentally she kept track of how far she is from their escape route, in essence how long it’ll take for them to high-tail it out of there if they needed to quickly jet.

Hiccup looked at their connected hands and was instantly aware how clammy his hands were. His heart hammered in his ears and he tried to focus on her braid swaying along her back, that was safer, he told himself. Here they were, in a precarious situation and all he thinks of was the how nice their interwoven fingers felt. Electricity coursed through his body and he couldn’t help but squeeze her firmly. Hopefully she didn’t think it weird, did she think he was afraid? That wouldn’t be entirely incorrect, this _is_ his first tour since the walls of Berk were established.

 Astrid abruptly stopped and looked to Hiccup and then to the set of double doors on the right. He nodded at her, letting go of her hand and stalked towards the door. Instantly, he missed her warmth, _GODS_ , Hiccup knew he had to stop it with these reactions when they’re both dangerously exposed. But at this moment, his heart is definitely not listening to his head.

When he was three meters away, Toothless loudly hissed. Both humans froze and looked to the feline.

Teeth flashing, Toothless’ stared warily at the double doors. His body remained over Hiccup’s shoulders but make no mistake, his bobbed tail’s aggressive curve showed how tense he was. Hiccup stopped his approach and slowly turned around. Heart hammering in his ears and chills travelled down his spine with the thought of even exposing his back to that door. He reminded himself to control his breathing with even breaths and made his way back to Astrid, together they moved towards the shelves stacked with boxes.

“Quietly now, we’ll grab a few and get out of this nest,” Astrid whispered.

“Okay, you start on the left and I’ll take right, be back in 5.” Hiccup turned and quietly started his task.

Astrid started down her row of shelves by picking up one of the boxes, its label didn’t say much but from experience she guessed it was a book, although heavy, it could help with sharing its knowledge. It wasn’t something she would normally pick, but she decided the gamble for weight was well worth the small dimensions it would take up in her backpack and plopped it in. For today, she decided she would try to go for quantity and knew she would have time to sort out useless items later.

She continued to make small decisions on which boxes she would take and which she left on the shelves. Astrid was starting to actually enjoy herself. She knew for a moment it felt almost normal to just be here focused on a task and was able to ignore the restless feeling of impending doom she’s learnt to live with since turning eleven. A gut feeling that helped her out multiple times since the world of her childhood collapsed. She knew when people acted too oddly for her own good or when something just didn’t seem right, she followed these feelings and in turn they helped her stay alive.

Which is why she didn’t hesitate when a shiver to roll down her spine and without a further thought Astrid turned around with her axe lifted high above her head and chop down with all her might.

The zombie that had managed to sneak up behind her collapsed, skull crushed and with the brain gone, nothing left kept this undead husk moving.  It couldn’t even have the decency to fall down on itself, but it had to sway back and push several parcels off the self. The loud sound it created echoed in the silent space.

“Son of a … half-troll,” said Astrid. She quickly hoisted her bag on her back and ran towards the shelves where she and Hiccup had parted ways. She hadn’t notice how deep into that aisle she’d wandered, and mentally chided herself for allowing this mental lapse in zombie filled surroundings.

“Astrid!” Hiccup stage whispered, he ran out of his own row of shelves, eyes wide open.

“We need to go!”

Astrid looked towards their exit and her heart sank. A group of zombies which had previously remained idle around Gate 6 had made their way across the room and will soon be blocking their path. Their own stilted movements will benefit the two scavengers, but not by much.

“Stick behind me,” Astrid running forward, gripping her axe and swung at the closest undead. She hit it square on the forehead, crushing the brittle bone and brain matter exploded from the cranium. But before she can rejoice, another set of gnashing teeth and black stained nails took their place. Astrid swung again and again clearing a path between herself and the door that was their salvation.

She didn’t have time to look behind her, to make sure Hiccup was keeping up. Astrid was entirely focused on the wall of black nails around her and keep them at bay, even is it meant she had to chop a few off for getting too close. Finally, she bumped into the metal door. With her back bracing against it, she finally had a chance to try to reassess the situation.

A hand clenched her arm, “Hiccup?” Astrid gasped. Black nails raked the air in front of her face and she barely had time to place the axe between herself and a set of yellowed teeth. Pivoting, Astrid used the handle of her axe and drove the undead back into its brethren. She took in deep breaths and looked around wildly for Hiccup. Her heart hammered in its cavity and adrenaline coursing through her veins. She knew he didn’t have the same training as her, but he wouldn’t have fallen, she’s certain she would’ve heard him cry out if he did.

Another zombie stepped closer, when it’s head suddenly exploded in fire. Another object arched over head and landed with a shatter of oil and flame, hitting a figure in middle of the large mass of moving limbs closing in around her. An undead on her left fell forward and a dishevelled Hiccup stumbled over the ghoul. Crowbar in one hand and oil glass bottle with a burning wick in another. An indignant Toothless was hissing at all of the undead, still perched on Hiccup’s backpack. His eyes wide with terror when he looked to her. “I can’t believe I just did that.”

Astrid pushed the door behind her, glancing at the hallway to make sure it was all clear and pulled the brunet after her.  Hiccup turned and whipped his last bottle of oil into the room before Astrid slammed the door shut, her ears caught the the satisfying sound of glass breaking and fire igniting.

“They don’t feel the fire, it’s not something to be used at close range,” said Astrid, barricading the door with a table. “Unless they’re immobile, we actually found zombies to be a greater danger once they’ve been lit on fire.

“I’m sorry, it seemed like a good idea at the time.” With an apologetic half-crocked smile on his face, Hiccup leaned against the table, catching his breath.

“To be honest, it actually seems to work out. With them all bunched up, the fire might wipe them out and next time we come here, there’ll be 30 or so less.”

“Yum, charbroiled zombies.”

“Hmm, deep fried will give you more calories,” smiled Astrid poking at his skinny figure. She grabbed Hiccup’s hand, tugging him down the hallway, “C’mon, let’s get back and see what we just risked our lives for.”

Hiccup could feel the adrenaline slowly wear off by time they reached their little supply closet. His bag was heavy with parcels and one slightly annoyed feline, he found climbing the stairs made him out of breath. But getting to share these experiences made everything worth it.

Tingles travelled up his arm, causing that sinking feeling in his stomach and his heart might actually have given out by the time they got through the barricaded hallway. He wished he could get it together, and not have a total body shut down just because the pretty, absolutely bad ass girl he likes is holding his hand. The way she jumped head on into that group of zombies was terrifying and yet inspiring. Her experience shows and every movement made was calculated and efficient.

Astrid made survival in the apocalypse look effortless. Need vitamins C? She knew which plants to boil into tea and extract the needed vitamins. How about low on rations and water? Oh, she’s already caught dinner in her traps and set up the rain catcher. A zombie horde between us and safety, no problem, she and Stormfly will bait them away, drawing the undeads’ attention from slow moving blacksmiths and their bob-tailed cats.

Stormfly excitedly greets them when they entered their room and she received a quick pat from Astrid. Toothless leaps down when Hiccup puts down his bag, and ran to the deerhound earning sniffs, licks, and yips. If they could talk Hiccup thought they would be complaining to each other about the kind of day they’ve been subjected to.  He could almost hear Toothless’ low yodelling voice tell Stormfly of how many close shaves they had.

Hands tugged at his collar and he looked to see Astrid unzipping his leather jacket.

“Whoa, whoa… what are you doing?” said Hiccup, grabbing deft hands lifting his shirt, his face heating up. Never in a million years, would he imagine having to stop Astrid from undressing him.  

 “Protocol, Hiccup. We need to check each other for bites or scratches.” The look in Astrid’s eyes said she was ready to use force if necessary. “I promise to not tell people about any embarrassing tattoos you might have.”

“The embarrassing tattoo is not the problem here.” Hiccup took a step back, arms out. His skin flushed and prickles travelled from his head down to his toes. “Can you look away; I think I can take off my clothes by myself.”

“Really, you don’t have to be so nervous,” smiled Astrid, though she did mercifully turn her back to him, giving him a little privacy. “This is actually how we found Tuffnut’s tattoo that looks like it was inked by a zombie.”

“Knowing him, he probably did get it inked by one,” Hiccup forced a laugh. His hands shook as he lifted his shirt over head, and then stalled at his pants and shoes. After living in a world of constant war against a virus, Hiccup always saw his clothing as armour. They can be the last line of defence from skin breaking and the virus entering the bloodstream. Spending most of his days in the forge, he rarely had to take off his clothes in the company of others for bite checks. He took a deep breath to try to keep his voice from shaking, and he knew the answer but still voiced his question, “when you said to check, you meant…?”

“Yes Hiccup, I meant everything, a walker isn’t picky over gnawing on your arm or your big toe. So, take off everything. Please.” Astrid gave him a meaningful glance before turning her back to him once more.

Hiccup’s face flushed crimson, of course Astrid would be alright with this. She must’ve seen dozens of naked bodies at this point, but nonetheless, he can’t seem to swallow his embarrassment. Kneeling down to untie his shoes and he felt the hairs on his leg tug against his pants from the movement, almost as if they were stuck. “Ow,” Hiccup hissed. And he paused. His pulse still hammering in his ears, but now for a totally different reason. He gingerly rolled up the pants on his left leg, his fingers came away red, drying blood.

“Hiccup?” Astrid grabbed his calf, pulling the sock out of the way. She gasped and Hiccup saw it too.

Just above the ankle, a set of bite marks, still bleeding and black webs crisscrossing from where the skin broke. Statistical information started to sound off in his head, three days of fever, five days till death, and one more life loss to the zombie problem. None of this seemed real to him, Hiccup blinked once, twice, and the bite remained on his leg.

Then his vision was covered by his jacket and shirt, “Wait, what?” Astrid was threading his arms and head through them. “Put them back on,” She insisted, her hands already at his torso taking off his belt.

“Astrid, I should … I should go,” choked Hiccup. These words were hard to say, even though the logical part of his brain told him it made the most sense. “Astrid? Please, take my bag and Toothless, I really … should –”

“You’re NOT going anywhere Hiccup!” Snapped Astrid. She wrapped his belt around his leg just below the knee and tightened it till it was painful, cutting off the blood supply. She pointed him towards their sleep bags, wedged between metal shelves, while she went over to where they’ve organized their supplies and scavenged items.

Astrid came back to where Hiccup, arms carrying the first aid kits, a jug of vinegar, some odd clothing items, and her axe. Opening a First Aid Kit, she took out the yellowed bandages they had debated over just yesterday. It seemed so long ago, before this death sentence loomed over his head.

“Do you know what you’re doing?” asked Hiccup, his voice small and quiet.

“Do you trust me?” she replied softly. Her attention focused at the task, almost as if she was trying not to think too much of what she needed to do. Dousing a t-shirt in the vinegar, she started to wipe down the head of her axe with it, disinfecting it.

“Do I have much of a choice?”

“Well, you could choose to die and become a zombie.” Taking his leg, Astrid poured more vinegar just above the bite and wiped it down with alcohol wipes from the first-aid kits.

Hiccup looked at his leg, He remembered the look of listless eyes and gnashing teeth they had seen only fifteen minutes ago. A set of blackened teeth had given him this bite. _They_ were all only people once upon a time. They had lives, families, and beloved pets once, and look at them now. Would be okay if he turned into _that_ , another mindless drone of the virus. “Alright, please do it quick.” He closed his eyes and braced himself for the impact.

He jumped when gentle hands held his face and soft lips kissed his cheek.  A moment later they were gone. The tingles resonating from his cheek were the only evidence of it happening. Hiccup dared not open his eyes.

“You’re going to be okay, here bite down on this.” A piece of fabric was placed at his lips, he opened his mouth and made room for the gag to fit between his jaws. His hand gripped the smooth metal shelves next to him.

The dull thud of an axe burying itself on into the wooden floor was all he heard before he felt an explosion of pain and passed out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To zombie or not to zombie  
> That is the questions  
> Whether 'tis nobler...


	3. I spy an owl, a burning waste pile, and squirrels.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I'm really sorry for how long this chapter took to get released. 
> 
> Life and school took over and I wasn't happy with where this story was heading, so many re-writes... until I finally got this :)
> 
> Well, here it is, hope you guys haven't given up on me.

Hiccup groaned in his sleep, tossing and turning, never truly getting the rest his body needed to heal.

Astrid chewed on the inside of her cheek and knelt next to her companion. She took the damp towel off his forehead, freshened it with water and replaced it. She then adjusted cardboard box used to elevate his left leg, to keep the wound above his beating heart, but his constant movements have made that difficult.

A feverish hand reached out and grabbed her forearm, unfocused eyes looked wildly at her, “What are you still doing here?”

“I’m looking after you,” Astrid said as a matter of fact.

“You should be gone; going back to Berk. If you stay, you’ll die; _I’m_ dying,” rasped Hiccup.

“Don’t be dramatic Hiccup, its just a regular fever from the amputation. Here take this, I found it in the one of the boxes we found. The label says it should help with the fever and pain,” Astrid placed the pill on his tongue and brought a water bottle to his lips, coaxing him to take a sip. “Anyways, if I return without you, Valka will feed me to Cloudjumper.”

“Owls’s beaks are meant for griping and tearing, there’s no way he can actually kill you.” His unfocused eyes roamed up to the ceiling. “He could blind you though.”

“And after I’m blinded, the Chief will chop me up into tiny little bits before the Beast Tamer feeds me to her pets, see?  Haddock family teamwork at its finest!” said Astrid.

Ignoring the morbid topic, Astrid brought a bowl of porridge to Hiccup, fed him a spoonful. She waited till he swallowed before giving him another. In the last few days, he’s been coming in and out of consciousness, it’s always a race against time to get as much food in him while he was lucid enough to swallow. Since his appetite is gone, eating now seems more like a jaw muscle work out rather than enjoyment.

“Is this acorn paste? When did you get acorns?” asked Hiccup between mouthfuls, for once tasting the food, Astrid took this as a good sign that he’s doing better.

Pleased, she tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear, “There’s a tree outside, I picked them while letting Stormfly out for her walk.”

“A dog with Stormfly’s size and exercise routine should be eating daily at least 500 grams of food,” Hiccup casted an eye at the sleeping hound, turning away from the offered food. Suddenly, no longer interested in the porridge in front of him. He tried to remember how long has it been since that fateful afternoon which resulted in the amputation of his leg, but the days since then have blurred together and it was impossible to tell.

“We left Berk with just enough food and water for eight days,” he stated. “Enough for two animals and two humans.”

Astrid look at the bowl in her hands and took a bite of the porridge, not going to let it go to waste if he wasn’t eating. “I’ve been supplementing Stormfly’s and Toothless’s diet with the game caught in our traps, and if we really run out of food, they can have most of the jerky we’ve brought with us. Whereas, I think you and I can survive on oats and nuts we brought.”

“What about water? We need at least three litres of water a day for you and I, each. If we’re travelling, we’ll need even more than that.” His body tense and he tried to get into prop himself up on his elbows. “How _do_ our supplies look?”

“We have enough to manage with, Hiccup, you need to focus on resting and healing,” said Astrid, placing her hand on his chest.

 “And how am I not crushing through our water supplies in the state I am?” countered Hiccup a breath hitched in his voice. “What _is_ your plan? If you were hoping to make the trek back; Stormfly, Toothless and you still need two days worth of supplies to get back to Berk,”

“ _We_ have enough to get us back to Berk; I’m not leaving you Hiccup,” Astrid insisted, while leaning into his personal space to look him in the eye. “If I do, then you’ll really die.”

“Now who is being dramatic?” half in a brazen act of confidence and half in feverish haze, he took her hand and brought it to his lips before resting it back on to his chest. Trapping her hand between his and interlacing their fingers, like dragon roosting over its beloved toy.

In this world of moral ambiguity, the strong have no reason to care for the weak, and yet here was someone who refuses to leave his side even when he’s become such a burden. How lucky he was to have her here and now. The strategic part of his brain was telling him to get her to leave before they’re out of supplies. But the greedy part was telling him to hold on to her and never let go, because she was right, without Astrid, his chances of survival are slim to none.

This scavenger tour was supposed to show his dad and the whole colony that he too can be a zombie killer. That Hiccup’s survival in the past six years haven’t been a fluke just because his dad was the chief of their small colony and his mom was animal conservationist extraordinaire. The thought of being a burden to his parents and their colony was unbearable. How was Hiccup supposed contribute to their colony? And not just become another helpless mouth to feed.  After all, Astrid said it herself, out here “ _mobility is your greatest ally._ ” How was he suppose to be mobile without a foot?

Hiccup bit his lower lip to try to keep himself from totally falling apart in front of his partner. He released her hand and used the cuff of his sleeve to brush away unshed tears. Squaring his resolve, he focused on the words he had to say next. He’s already tried to reason with her, and she wouldn’t adhere to sound logic of basic survival. Hiccup knew he had to try to get her to leave, Berk was too far for him to travel in this state and he wouldn’t forgive himself if anything happened to her because of him.

“You don’t have to stay here to prove anything. Everyone already knows you’re perfect and no one will fault you for leaving me like this,” said Hiccup.

“It’s not perfection to leave your partner to die,” Astrid fired back.

“It is, if you count the three lives saved for the price of _one_.” Hiccup mustered as much fight in his voice as he could.

“We’re not so desperate that we need to make these kinds of decisions yet,” running her hand through her hair, as she tried to maintain her calm.

Hiccup ignored her last comment, continuing to push her with his words. “Heck, they might even give you a medal for finally getting rid of the guy who periodically blows up parts of the colony. I’m pretty sure by coming back empty handed you’ve made some of the gamblers in the big hall very happy.”

He felt a strike on his upper arm, not a hard punch like the ones he gets from Snotlout, but definitely the intent was there.

“That was for thinking I would abandon you for something as insignificant as money or a perfect record,” said Astrid. Her steely blue eyes daring him any different.  She continued with knocking her knuckles on the middle of his forehead. “And that was for everything else.”

“What? E-Everything else?” asked Hiccup, bewildered. “Are you actually punching a patient?”

“I only hurt people who need it. For a guy who is normally smart, this fever has really taken your ability to think properly.”

“I’m trying to be logical right now. We have, what? One more day’s worth of water left between the two of us? We will die here before help arrives from Berk.” Hiccup gestures to his foot. “And with the way I am right now, all it’ll take is one unlucky incident with a zombie or a hostile scavenger to get us all killed.”

“And _I’m_ trying to keep my partner freaking out and giving up. If you don’t remain optimistic, then the battle is already lost before its even began. Now use that smart brain of yours and help me think of a solution out of this, because there has to be one where no one needs to die!” Face flushed in anger, Astrid stood up and placed the half-eaten bowl of porridge on his lap, before storming out of the room. Stormfly perked up and threw Hiccup an exasperated look before faithfully following her mistress.

From his perch on the window, Toothless yodelled at Hiccup.

Hiccup glances up at his best friend, “I know bud, I really messed that up, right?”

Toothless slowly blinked his green eyes at that comment, it reminded Hiccup of the exasperated look his dad had every time Hiccup’s new experiment destroys a part of the colony again. A look which he has learnt to be equal parts “What-am-I-going-to-do-with-you?” And “What-were-you-thinking?” Great, now it seems even his own cat has more sense than him.

Releasing a shaky breath, Hiccup covered his eyes with the crook of his elbow. Maybe in the darkness, he can finally get some restful sleep. And not have to listen to Astrid return to pack her bag and essentially sign his death sentence. Maybe if she never came back that could be her answer to his accusations and proposal.

The silence has never been more deafening.

~.~.~

Astrid and Stormfly made their way out of the building without any fuss or interruptions of the undead kind, giving Astrid some much needed distance between her and her boar-headed companion. The deer hound whined at the axe maiden’s feet, sensing her mistress’s fowl mood but unwilling to leave her side. Astrid puffed out her cheeks and forced a smile for her favourite travel companion. “I’m going to be alright, go stretch your legs.” After nudging Stormfly to go enjoy herself, Astrid blew at her bangs before walking around the building. 

As much as Hiccup made her heart flutter in ways she hasn’t felt around others, sometimes she felt like throttling him for being so eccentric. Did he actually think she had been bribed to take on this mission, that this was all just another notch on her belt? Or maybe someone had paid her off to make sure the troublesome heir was going to meet his end with an ‘accident’? The thought of her doing these underhanded tactics was infuriating and she thought he knew her better.

Sure, he was right, they were down to their day’s worth of water and they weren’t due back to Berk till tomorrow. By the time anyone suspects thing have gone awry, the rescue party will arrive far beyond the three days she and Hiccup can survive without the precious liquid. If only Berk had a safe place close to here; one that has access to water, to be able to wait things out, and allow Hiccup more time to heal.

Stomping out on to the side walk, she itched to practice her axe throwing, but she knew better than to take such noisy risks. For now, she will blow off steam by exercising and checking her traps.

 Living in the Berk, it was near impossible to not know who the Haddocks were; but even by the end of her first day at Berk 4 years ago, she had been made aware of the Little Inventor of Berk. Part of the famous Haddock family that governed the colony, Hiccup Haddock had already made a name for himself by the age of thirteen by simultaneously setting their waste pile on fire and wiping out most of an invading horde of zombies which have already breached the outer wall, a wall that Hiccup may have also inadvertently weakened.

Mostly, the people of Berk remembered the burning garbage, especially the noxious smoke emanating from it for days after the incident.

The governing family’s patriarch, Chief Stoik the Vast is a prolific zombie killer, his reputation had even spread to the distant colonies Astrid and the rest of the Hofferson family have travelled through. There was the legendary tale of a determined father who single handily held off a horde of zombies, while other families fled. He and his family gave up their spots on the government ships collecting civilians so others could have a better chance of survival.

After turning down their chance at safety, the Haddock family, along with best friend Gobber, decided their next plan of action was to create their own safe place. And thus, the colony of Berk was born, with Stoik at its head.

Valka, the Beast Tamer, found a second calling through her knowledge and passion of animals. Originally scoffed as a wasteful project for rescuing many former pets from their abandoned homes, her trained animals are the pillars of support keeping life in Berk going when technology, electricity, and radio signals are unreliable. Dogs originally bred for hunting and other helpful tasks were trained once more to help humans survive this zombie filled landscape. Cats, like Toothless, were solitary but great at sensing incoming ghouls. Even pigeons were bred and given to allies and off site defenders for their uncanny ability to always fly home, while carrying important messages.

Gobber, blacksmith and electrician, was Master of Metal Work and could trouble shoot most machinery and appliances. If anyone wanted a sturdy, reliable weapon, they would go to him. And while his customers wait, he tells everyone an ever-growing tale of how he lost his right leg to gangrene and his left hand in a card game. As Hiccup’s teacher, the grisly man had questionable teaching methods but was a great dancer, if his performances in the great hall were to be judged, and will bravely run into a horde of incoming ghouls if ever called for.

And yet, as legendary as these parental figures are, Astrid was always curious of the little inventor who created and tested new gadgets for all those who left the safety of Berk’s boarders. The one who caused such a commotion the first day the Hoffersons came to live in the colony. The one whom the twins mockingly called “The Little Prince” for his elevated status amongst the teens. The one whom Fishlegs would gladly take on extra work for and report field test findings to.

When it came time to find a person to go with Hiccup for this tour, Astrid was secretly glad she was picked. Finally, she could put a personality to this figure who always seem to be in the periphery of her life, and yet his actions have had profound reverberations on her day-to-day survival. How many times has she reached for a signal flare and known it was created by a person who shares the same birth year as herself? Or as a Scout, she ran a run and knew the trail was plotted by boy she barely spoken two sentences to.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the return of Stormfly with rabbit in her mouth. The smug hound dropped the animal at Astrid’s feet and was rewarded with pets and praises before looping off once more down the street. Astrid picked up the animal and placed it into her game pouch, she’d skin and clean it later. Following Stormfly to the area behind a parking lot, she made her way to where they had found an animal trail and left several small traps. Astrid slowed her steps as she approached the tall grass and trees. Stormfly was a wonderful at sniffing out any belly crawling undeads in the underbrush but one can never be too careful.

Astrid spent the next hour clearing out and resetting all the traps, bringing her haul to a total of one rabbit, three rats, and three squirrels. “Thank the Gods for this bounty,” Astrid had just breathed in prayer, when she heard the sound Stormfly returning. The hound stalked out of the tall grass and leaned her tense body next to Astrid’s leg, pointing her snout at a tall ash tree at the edge of the field. Gripping her axe, Astrid tentatively walked in that direction. As she neared the tree, she could make out the sound of soft moans and unmistakable smell of rotting flesh.

There it was, leaning at the trunk of a tree, legless and armless with barely a torso, and struggling to even snap its decaying jaw at her.

Stormfly by her mistress, ready to strike or protect.

“Good girl, stay with me,” said Astrid, inching towards the figure. Stopping two meters away, she took aim and threw her axe. The strength of the weapon burying into the trunk reverberated up the branches, causing them to release some of their leaves. Astrid forced herself to count to twenty breaths, all the while her hammering heart loud in her ears, before approaching the figure.

It was an ugly thing, even amongst zombies, but it’s patchy grey hair, rotting cheeks, and black gums wasn’t what drew her in. This ghoul was dressed in a very familiar fashion, Astrid wondered. As she dove into a haze of memories, trying to remember of a time before Berk. Her family had stopped in a colony where everyone wore face masks, and identical black ninja outfits, just like this undead. Could they be one and the same?

 “You may have hated your death in your final moments, but I’m grateful you died.” Astrid bowed to the ghoul, for once in her life she felt something akin to gratitude towards the zombies.

“C’mon Stormfly, we’re having squirrel tonight,” Astrid retrieved her axe and made her way back to the storage closet. This new revelation shed a ray of hope to their dire situation, she’ll enjoy finding a fun way to break such uplifting news to her partner, who seemed hell-bent on self sacrifice.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I got sick while writing this chapter, which was ironic, and I kind of noticed that I REALLY don't like people around me while I'm phlegm-y and disgusting... 
> 
> My go to thing was cold medicine to keep me drowsy and a soft spoken podcaster to lull me off to sleep... Zzzzz
> 
> Thanks for the comments guys, they keep me going


	4. I spy the Bewilderbeast, a jungle trail, and curry.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which our duo plus fur babies find other survivors

“Gods, I have no idea how I let you talk me into this,” said Hiccup, as the wagon wheel rolled over the uneven pavement. The side jolted and dug itself into his ribs for the umpteenth time this hour alone. He let out a huff as rolled up his leather jacket and shoved it under his arm, giving his bruising ribs some much needed padding. Picking up the discarded map book next to his lap, Hiccup flip the pages to where they are, nine kilometers west of the sorting facility.

He glanced at the sun, high up in the sky, they had started early but soon they’ll have to start looking for a place to stay the night if they didn’t get to their destination soon. He looked at the Astrid’s back again, something he’s spent most of the morning starring at. Guilt settling in his stomach, there was no way he would’ve gotten this far without her.

“You agreed to this because deep down, like the rest of us, you actually just want to live,” said Astrid. She gritted her teeth and huffed as she tugged the wagon along. Hiccup felt every jolt and bump, though he kept his complaints to a minimum, she still heard his winces and hisses. This was her last-ditch effort to make sure they all made it out of the facility together and luckily, Hiccup in his fever filled brain was willing to take this chance.

“So, how do we know these guys are even still at this part of town?”

“We don’t, Hiccup,” as she maneuvered the wagon around yet another abandoned van left on the road, her muscles are starting to protest from their overuse. With how much weaving around vehicles they’ve had to do, their progress has been slow. “I remember going along the river and right at the bend there was a giant metal bridge lit up by lights. And judging from the map, there’s only one place that fits. Lucky for us, its closer than going back to Berk”

“You know, this is starting to sound more and more like a wild-goose-chase. Electricity? The power grid has been down for years,” said Hiccup, absentmindedly scratching Toothless’ ears. “And it’s the opposite way to Berk.”

“That may be, but they’re close enough for us to reach today. If it turns out a dud, we can reassess our options again,” smiled Astrid, keeping optimism near the surface, so to convince him to not jump to the worst-case scenario. “Not to mention, we did leave that note in the supply closet for any would be rescuers from Berk. They would know where we’re headed.”

“We’re gambling the rest of our water supply for a shot in the dark; how do we even know this colony will be open helping strangers, I mean, your family didn’t stay.”

“We’ll cross that bridge once we get there, but right now this is our only option.” Turning around, Astrid stopped pulling the wagon and took a swing from her bottle. “We can pretend to be traders, and if they don’t want anything we have, I can always offer to sell them your sorry, pessimistic butt.”

 “I’m not sure what use they’ll have with a one-legged scavenger.  Toothless would surely be more useful to them,” half sure she was joking and equally terrified she would actually offer him up as collateral, Hiccup forced a laugh and fidgeted with the map. His fever made concentrating on the small text extremely difficult and it didn’t help that his feline companion took this opportunity to stretch over it.

A part of him knew by now that Astrid won’t just leave him, but if only he was in a better head space right now, he’d be able to quiet down these small nagging thoughts that whispered horrible half-truths to him.

“Look on the bright side, you’re getting some sunlight, a wagon ride, and your late-night activities haven’t gone to waste,” teased Astrid, gesturing to the wagon.

“Astrid! This wonderful creature has a name, be respectful to this King of Wagons and call him by his rightful title,” said Hiccup in a mocked scandalous voice, tapping the side of the wagon where black lettering decorated the panel. “Some people, no manners at all.”

“Hmm, the Bewilderbeast? I’m pleased to meet you,” smiled Astrid as she read the name, before offering her bottle to the Bewilderbeast’s rider, who took and placed it next to him. Glad her companion is once again cracking jokes; the colour has returned to his cheeks and he seems to be getting better with every day; or that could be the fever keeping his face flushed.  “So, how are we looking, Navigator?” said Astrid, as she grabbed the handle and tugged on it once more.

 “We’re almost there. If we turn here, it’ll be a straight shot down the road till we get to the bridge.” Flipping between the map pages, the brunette squinted against the glare on the glossy paper. “It’ll be down hill from here on out, we’re only 800 meters out?”

“Home stretch! Who knows, maybe we can get you a proper bed to sleep in tonight.” Astrid guided the wagon across the street and turned into a street with small detached single storey houses lining the side of the streets.

“A bed and wagon ride? Wow Astrid, you really know how to make a guy feel special.”

“Anything for our ‘Little Prince’”

Hiccup’s face flushed at the mention of that nickname, his arm raised to scratch the back of his head, “You know about that, eh? Well I guess it is a rather accurate name for me right now.”

“You don’t have to worry about it, Hiccup. The twins will mock anything that catches their interest. Don’t let them or anyone get to you,” said Astrid, then looking at the empty houses they’re rolling by.

The tall grass here was an acceptable knee high in height and not the outrageous two meters that was the norm in many places now. On each house’s street facing surface, a large spray painted ‘X’ could be seen and next to them a set of numbers, followed by either, L, DB or Z. And the most eerie thing of all was that all vehicles were uniformly parked on the side of roads, none looked like they were abandoned in a fit of terror. 

“Hey, can you hear that?”

Hiccup strained his ears, trying to pick up the sound his blond companion heard. Then a moment later, pass the crisp crunches of wagon wheels rolling on the asphalt, he hears it, the low rumbles of heavy metal machinery moving around and tangs of hammers hitting upon metal.

He wipes his sweating hands on his pants and his heart starts to race in his chest as six years of mental conditioning to be quiet at all times almost makes him demand that they turn around and just head towards Berk.  Do these guys have a death wish?

“Zombie Survival 101, don’t make a noise unless you have plan,” muttered Astrid as she guided the wagon around a truck, voicing what was already in on Hiccup’s mind. Bringing a small dog whistle to her mouth and blew through it, she summoned back Stormfly who had wandering ahead of their wagon.

Rolling around the sixteen-wheeler, the bridge came into view and the sight took Hiccup’s breath away. Originally accommodating six lanes of traffic on the street level and two sets of subway tracks below, the structure was meant to allow high volumes of commuters to get over the valley and into and out of the city quickly. This double leveled bridge now housed smaller wooden living quarters that together made up a vibrant and lively colony.

Solar panels decorating the steel sides of the bridge and sides of the shanty buildings, creating the look of individual scales on a large serpent. The panels transformed solar energy into electrical, powering small hand held tools and equipment. A low buzz of many motors running permeating around the valley, as groups of colonists continued to weld and cut sheets of metal, which has drawn in all able-bodied zombies to their firmly shut gates.

“Well, I guess they did have a plan,” Astrid breathed, pointing to odd configuration of gates. It took a second look before Hiccup could understand what exactly she was talking about.

The gates’ closed position jutted out onto the street like the bow of a ship, cutting into the sea of undead bodies. As the mass of ghouls gathered around the edge, they jostled each other off to the side, encouraged by the triangular shape of the gates, to where the street met the beginning of the bridge. There the fences and other safety barriers have been conveniently removed and little by little the undead, lured by the noises, walked off to their own doom.

 The cliff edge was steep and treacherous, a solid twenty-meter drop, at the very least. Each time a walker took the plunge, Hiccup unconsciously held his breath and counted his heart beats, straining his ears to hear that final thud of a body on hard ground. No zombie was going to survive that. Bones and organs are guaranteed to turn to jelly after their fall.

Simple yet effective, it was so rare to find such an obvious display of human activity anymore.

“It explains why we haven’t seen any zombies in the last three hours,” Hiccup added, admiring the planning and coordination that must’ve went into this colony’s defenses. “Gods, I would love to be able to check their set up. How do they manage to store the electricity? What kind of wiring do they use? And those gates must be motor operated, don’t you think?”

“My current question would be, how do we get them to open the gate? With an operation this organized, they might have a schedule they keep to,” said Astrid, squinting at the crow’s nest on one of the bridge towers, where a look-out would be stationed, but with the afternoon sun behind the bridge, it was impossible to see any figures on the look out point.

“Yeah, let’s not push our luck with the ghouls,” said Hiccup, gesturing to his leg. “This is a race I’m not going to win.”

The two turned around and looked at the surrounding buildings, once a popular shopping area small businesses and restaurants lined up on the main street, and residential homes in the smaller side streets. Now a days, the glass windows in the storefronts are empty and everything of value have already been stripped off the premises. As they made their way down the street; it was unnerving to find everything so organized; no abandoned items on the street, public post boxes and garbage cans were upright, sidewalks were clear of obstacles.

“There, that looks promising.” Astrid pointed to a large red flag flying in the wind in a parkette.

As they turned the corner into the small area and found at the foot of the flagpole a large piece of plywood.

“‘Visitors of Caldera Clay, please lower the flag and wait for further instructions in the safe house provided’,” read Hiccup, following the crude map someone had managed to fill the corner of the plywood with. “It looks to be the first house on this street. Do we do as it says?”

“Might as well, we don’t have any more options,” replied Astrid, as she tugged on the wires to lower the flag, “Huh, its just a bed sheet, wasn’t expected that.”

“Nothing quite says ‘trap’ like a well-kept front lawn.”

“Stay positive Hiccup, that’s a problem for future us,” Astrid pulled their wagon up the driveway towards the porch. It was the only one on the street with an acceptably well-kept lawn and a somewhat organized plant growth. She patted the shaggy dog by her side, “You like this place, girl?”

Stormfly sniffed at the door before sitting down, signaling to her humans that this is a safe place “Okay, I’ll do recon, you stick with Hiccup, okay?” said the blue-eyed scavenger as she stretched her arms and shoulders.

“Wait, Astrid. Take Toothless, just in case.” Hiccup held up the cat.

“Alright, you’ll watch my back? Don’t let anything sneak in after me,” asked Astrid as she tries the door, finding it unlocked, strolled into the house with Toothless perched on her shoulder and her axe in hand.

Hiccup glanced at the yawning dog as she laid on the driveway, warmed from the afternoon sun. “I guess its just you and me for now.”

Taking a cue from her, Hiccup readjusted his spot on the wagon and took out a worn leather book from his pocket. Flipping through it, he slowly read the now familiar journal entries and daily sketches filled in the earlier pages. This was one of the few personal items he was allowed to keep as solely his own, rather than shared communally. Ever the scholar, his mom had found the bound journal from a large stack of scavenged goods and encouraged Hiccup to fill it. Until now, he’s never missed a daily entry no matter how small.

Originally only his thoughts and shaky handwriting had gone into the journal, a way for him to reflect on his days. But as he started to get into the habit, Hiccup found himself enjoying writing and started to add in sketches and reports for his ideas and plans. In the days leading up to his tour, the entries were filled with addresses, and small maps. 

Smiling, the brunette revisited the happier moments he felt as entries were penned in by the campfire, on their way to the sorting facility. Sketches, notes, and observations were forced into all available space.

Although, he had ample time and a pen in hand, the itch to fill in the blank space didn’t come.

 Whether it was the slight fever he was still harbouring, or the incredibly anxious thoughts he was having of Astrid in an unknown house, focusing the small text was neigh on impossible. The sunlight on this clear day didn’t help and with a huff, Hiccup leaned on the stack of books and shut his eyes, giving them some rest.

In what felt like only a moment later, a soft click came from the front door and a smiling Astrid sauntered out toward the wagon and it’s waiting occupant.

“Its perfect inside. You’ll love it.” She helps Hiccup stand, guiding his arm over her shoulder as she gripped his waist, taking brunt of his weight as they entered the house. Stormfly, the happy hound bolted in, sniffing at the new environment and her tail swinging wildly from side to side. “We’ll start the tour with the wonderful security feature of window bars, which will keep out anything larger than a medium sized dog.”

In the entrance way, there were hooks for coats and a bowl for keys. The rooms and hallways were devoid of personal belongings and family photos. Hiccup has only saw places like this in old magazines, advertising places to buy. In person, he has never seen a place this clean and welcoming before. Since the Fall, no one has the time to put in the effort to make a sure a place was open to guests at all times, you were lucky to find somewhere without mold and pillow to rest your head.

The photos and art on the wall, filled with what must’ve been exotic places to survive in; a mountain range painted over three different large canvases, an elephant marching its way down a jungle trail, a lake landscape with white flowers in a garden, and many more. It was so homely, Hiccup actually felt there was chance of someone approaching them in a business suit asking if they wanted a tour.

“Nice of them to set up a place to stay for everyone who isn’t from their colony.”

“They were thoughtful enough to provide water,” Astrid agreed, pointing out several bottles on the kitchen counter. “We can have a nice dinner by the fireplace tonight.”

Astrid brought Hiccup through a hallway decorated by more photos, pass two small bedrooms and into the master. Where Hiccup flopped onto the king-sized bed face first and belly crawled the rest of his way. With her help, he was able to get himself into a comfortable position. Out of breath and staring blankly at the ceiling, Hiccup tried to get his racing heart under control. Under the covers this room felt both too hot and too cold at the same time. Was he really so out of shape or is it because of his still healing body?

“How are you holding up? Do you need more pills?” Astrid, sitting on the end of the bed, untied his shoe laces and tugged off his shoe, dropping it on the floor.

“I’m alright, just slightly annoyed at how winded I get from doing simple things, like I-don’t-Know, just getting into a bed?” Hiccup tried to take steady breaths to control his racing heart. “I tired of being tired, I just want this recovery part to be done with.”

“We’ll start working on your physio after the fever goes away, but for now, try to get some rest.” Astrid placed his crowbar on the night stand, where he could easily reach it.

“I’m just sick of feeling this way,” groaned Hiccup. “I just want to be able to help out.”

“And you will, but it’ll take rest, food and time. That’s what your body needs right now and once you get back to normal, you’ll be able to continue to torment the rest of us at Berk with your crazy insane ideas.” Astrid patted his leg before walking pass Toothless who was sniffing at dried-out plants on the window sill, she tapped the black cat’s nose, “I’ll bring in the rest of our stuff then check out the rest of the house. Toothless, you’re in charge while I’m gone.”

Complying with the _doctor’s_ orders, he rolled onto his side and closed his eyes. Allowing his body to relax and sink into the pillow and mattress. When was the last time he’s had a chance to sleep on a proper bed? His makeshift cot at Berk was lumpy and dug into his back at certain places. It was nice to finally rest on something made specifically for comfort and actual sleep.

Whomever decorated this room seemed to have been a sports fan. Trophies, memorabilia, and signed team photos lined the walls of the Master bedroom. Seeing so many people wearing sports jerseys, Hiccup remember being in the peewee league in his own childhood. His dad, always the sports fan, had encouraged him to play, even going as far as waking up at 5 am to get him to practice on time. It didn’t matter if Hiccup was always the smallest kid on the team. His dad always beamed with pride when seeing him in his uniform.

Of course, all of that ended with virus. Gobber has been trying to start some sort of Berk-wide sports league, but Stoik always points out the excitement might attract even more zombies to their already rowdy colony. But deep down, Hiccup knew his dad would love to just let loose and enjoy an afternoon watching teams compete, he wasn’t really picky with which sport.

~.~.~

The sound of whetstone on metal, once only associated to work in the forge with Gobber and reminding Hiccup every time that he was purposefully left out from the other teens, greeted the sleepy teen as he blinked awake. Over the pass week, every time he heard soft slid of metal, the first image in his mind was no longer his over weight mentor but a special golden-haired beauty. It warmed him to know that Astrid hadn’t abandoned him and she was near by. Groaning, he rolled over, pulling the tangled blankets from his prone form.

“Hiccup, you’re awake,” cooed a soft voice, the sound of sharpening tools stopped, and footsteps approached.  

Bleary eyed, Hiccup stretched, hearing pops sound off down his back. Why does it feel like someone threw him into a washing machine and set it on high? Oh right, zombie bite and healing body. The smell of leather and unwashed body came closer and he finally blinked away the drowsiness and assessed his dark surroundings, making out Astrid’s face only by moon light through the half-closed blinds.

“How long have I been out?” Hiccup croaked. Astrid placed a bottle at his lips and tilted it to encourage him to drink deeply. Following his body’s needs, he had already guzzled half of it before he could stop. With great will power, he forced himself to pause. Panting, the water now sits oddly in his previously empty stomach.

“I’ll leave this here, if you need it later,” said Astrid, placing the bottle on the night stand for him. He eyes it guiltily, knowing that this might’ve been the last of their water, and yet his body is asking for more.

“Don’t worry, we have more now,” she reminded him when she follows where he’s looking. Slowly he nodded, remembering that their gracious hosts had left a few bottles in the kitchen.

Swinging his legs off the bed, he took a breath before sliding off the edge. His foot hit the carpet in a jolt of sensation, and his knee buckled. If it wasn’t for Astrid’s quick arms encircling his middle, the green-eyed blacksmith would certainly be on the floor.

“Sorry, and thank you,” he whispered, catching his breath. Heart hammering in his chest, Hiccup took a few heart beats to steady himself before readjusting himself to Astrid’s side as they made their way down the dark hallway and towards the candle lit living room.

Astrid smiled softly, “What are friends for?”

Hiccup nodded, _friends_. That was a safe name to call what they were. Companions, partners, travelling buddies, and now, _friends._

Moments like these, when he found himself totally reliant on Astrid, used to make his face flush in embarrassment and feelings of resentment towards himself for not being more self sufficient. But she’d been with him through much more vulnerable and embarrassing positions over the past seventy-two hours than he’s ever thought possible. He’s learnt how it feels to have her strong frame support him while doing the most mundane, simple tasks he once took for granted like walking or emptying his bowels.

 Not once has she mocked him or brought these events up again. Maybe once this was over, they could laugh about them back at Berk over some drinks. That is, if she would be willing be seen socializing with him once they were home.

 “Are you feeling better? Your fever’s gone,” hands placed on his forehead to check. “How about a stretch or do you want to have some dinner first?”

“Depends, what are we having?” Hiccup asked with his teasing smile, knowing full well what supplies they had. It would’ve been too late for Astrid to set up traps by the time she had gotten their wagon and all it’s contents into the house. All the game they had caught yesterday would go to Stormfly’s and Toothless’s meal before the meat goes bad. So that only left the oats for porridge, and a side of dried jerky. 

“Well, there was a meat pie, but I had to set it aside to cool and then the dog got to it,” joked Astrid as they walked pass the two animals sleeping on the couch.

“What about the fishes?! Don’t tell me Toothless got that too?” gasped Hiccup in mock horror, as he lowered himself in the seat in front of the fireplace. He reached for his pack and took out the small pot, filled with their bag of oats. He poured out enough for the two of them, and threw in a pinch of salt and pepper.

“The fish swam away, that’s how lively it still was.” She brought over a water bottle and poured some of it into the pot before placing the porridge on the flames. 

Her companion shifted closer to the fire, occasionally stirring its contents with a metal spoon. Smiling sadly at their meagre food, he wished they had more to eat. In the midst of their important developing years, they should be eating loads more to grow.

Not that they starved at Berk, but there were times when you could tell someone just wanted a second portion or even half of one. They’d look at everyone else who were still eating, and glanced at their own empty dishes. Battling the need for their body’s demand for more food, with the social curtesy to not seem like a glutton.

 There were so many other foods they could’ve added to this meagre dinner, if only they were available

“Do you remember what mangos taste like?”

“Sort of, they were sweet, right? Mostly, I remember getting the juices all over my face when bit into the fleshy parts,” she smiled at a fond memory from many years ago. “Its not the first thing that I think of when remembering all the foods we used to have.”

“Oh?” Hiccup taste tested the porridge and decided it needed another few more minutes.

“Gods, my parents used to have the most amazing BBQs. Ribs, brisket, wings, burgers, sausages, and once, even a whole suckling pig. My aunts, cousins, and uncles would bring all kinds of salads, slaw and roasts. Once the table actually sagged from all the food we put on it,” laughed Astrid, taking a bite of jerky before offering it to Hiccup. “Then we’d be eating left overs for the week afterwards.”

“That sounds fun,” Hiccup gave her a crocked smile accepting the strip.

“Try rowdy, we were lucky our neighbours didn’t complain about the noise. Though the yearly Snoggletog mead that my dad would give them might have something to do with that.” She leaned into the other chair, allowing herself to relax for the first time in days. “What about you? What do you miss?”

“Curry on rice,” His green eyes glanced at her, gauging her reaction.

Astrid took the pot off the fire, and blew on a spoonful before tasting it. “Seriously?”

“You wound me, Milady, I make a mean Malaysian Chicken Curry on soft Japanese rice,” the brunette said evenly.

“Okay, okay, there’s so much to unpack in that sentence. First _you_ make food and second there are different kinds of curry and rice?”

“Well, first, have you seen my parents? Do they look like people who could cook? Trust me you’re doing yourself a service by _not_ eating my mom’s meatballs.” He examined the jerky in his hand before continuing. “Gobber is the one to teach me my way around the kitchen… kind of like the forge. That man is a Jack of all Trades.”

“And this Malee– Malaj–”

“Malaysian styled curry” supplied Hiccup.

“Now you’re just pulling my leg, there’s no way that actually exists,” Astrid gestured to Hiccup to trade foods.

“I’m not, it’s a country in South East Asia,” insisted Hiccup.  “The curry is a bit watery and not as thick as the others, and it gets a kick of flavour from lemon grass and herbs. I normally make it spicy enough to numb your tongue and insides.”

“That’s insane, why would you do that to yourself, Hiccup Haddock?” laughed Astrid, azure eyes twinkling in the fire light.

“Because it tastes good, I’ll make you a batch once I can get my hands on the right ingredients. Would you happen to know where I can get some lemon grass and curry paste?” He teased while eating another spoonful.  

“You didn’t live around here before, right?”

“Yeah, we bounce around six different countries while I was growing up for my mom’s work. She loved all animals, especially the ugly ones. She always said something about ‘people are always willing to save the cute cuddly ones.’

But side note, a lot of help my _different_ experiences give me to my survival odds; maybe I can throw spicy curries at the zombies.” He laughed bitterly. “You, on the other hand, is amazing. You’re taking this zombie survival like a fish to water. Watching you and everything you’re able to achieve –” he trailed off form his train of thought, quickly blushing.

She paused and Hiccup looked up at his companion.

Blue eyes clouded in worry and she bit her lower lip, pondering how she wanted to continue this conversation.

“You don’t have say anything.” Hiccup scooted closer and took her hand in his. “I’m sorry I never should’ve opened my mouth.”

Tucking her bangs from her face. She glanced at their joined hands; her thumb rubbed his knuckles. She paused before speaking in a soft voice, making him lean in just to hear her. “I was an oops-child.”

“Astrid…?”

“My parents didn’t plan to have me,” said Astrid as she played with the spoon in her hand. “They already had two almost full-grown kids by the time I came along and they had to put their retirement on hold while raising me. So, I grew up not _only_ having mom and dad’s attention; but I also had my cop sister taking me to camping trips and axe throwing competitions and while my masseuse brother taught me self care routines.” Then quickly she stuffed the rest of the porridge in her mouth, almost as if she needed something to keep her for saying more.

Smiling encouragingly, Hiccup urged her to continue, “your sister sounds pretty badass.”

“Hey, my brother was no slouch either. He may have had the softest hands I’ve ever known, but he taught me how the human body works; where muscles connect and where pressure points are located.” With a wicked smile, Astrid reached over and forced his hand back at a precise angle, shooting white hot pain from his wrist up his arm, which had Hiccup gasping. Resting a hand on his shoulder, Astrid whispered into his ear. “Dad’s so proud of all of us, he knows we can look after ourselves.”

“That’s great,” said Hiccup through clenched teeth, waving his hand wildly to dissipate the pain. Sharing a smile with his partner, he saw first time that she was genuinely happy, like she had relieved herself of a heavy burden.

“I can’t talk about Finn or Cami with anyone, especially not my parents. I guess, even after years, its still to raw. I’m lucky it’s you who is here and not any of the other guys,” she let out an uncomfortable laugh. “We don’t really talk back at Berk, do we?”

“No, you and I don’t really hang around the same social circles.” He looked at her, glow from fire lit up half of her being, she was stunning. Even with the bags under her eyes and sunken cheeks showing how hard she worked to keep them alive the past few days, and toll it took on her. He will never be able to find a way to repay her. “I’d like to though.”

“Hiccup, I don’t think I’d be able to have survived all the craziness that was the past week with just anyone else. To me you’re –,”

A loud knock on the door caused both to jump and both scavengers turned to look at the front door. The silence following hung heavily in the air as their brains tried to catch up to the new turn of events. Even from where they were sleeping, the animals perked up at the sound.

“Stormfly, come over here,” Astrid waved at the deer hound and directed her to Hiccup. “Hold on to her, Hiccup.”

She rolled her shoulders and hoisting her axe from where it laid next to her chair, silently walking towards the front of the house. Astrid gave Hiccup a nod before checking the peep hole then unlocking the front door.

From his seat at the fire, Hiccup couldn’t see anyone but he did feel Stormfly’s muscles twitch under his hands. A low voice, from beyond the door could be heard, “We’re the Defenders of Caldera Clay, may we come in?”

Astrid paused for a moment then stepped out from behind the door and retreated slowly back towards the fire, her stance relaxed but she never showed her back to the strangers.

“Had we known you were coming; we would’ve left some dinner,” she said, nonchalantly.

Stormfly, ever loyal, gave a firm bark as five figures cladded in dark hoodies with accompanying scarves masking their faces entered the house. The group paused for a moment but continued on once Hiccup shushed the hound and rewarded her with a comforting pat. A tall man, came forward and pulled down his hood and scarf, revealing red hair styled in an undercut and a clean-shaven face.

He purposefully walked towards the kitchen island, giving the scavengers a wide berth, his heavy boots announcing his approach. Leaning on the island, he maintained a stiff posture, not unlike giving report to his superior. Surrounded by his team, the other four sets of eyes never leaving Stormfly’s tense form nor Astrid’s axe.

“That’s perfectly fine, we had our supper before coming over,” said the tall man.

The measures he took to not alienate them was almost laughable considering the Berkians were the ones benefiting from Caldera Clay’s hospitality. He could easily have ignored all pretense of civility and demanded Hiccup vacate his chair, or that they had to pack up and leave the house this instant.

“I’m Throk and we’re, what you call, a welcoming committee,” the stern man said evenly. “We’ve come here to ask for the reason of your visit to Caldera Clay.”

“Well, I’m Hiccup and this is Astrid. This friendly dog here is Stormfly and Toothless is hiding somewhere,” smiled Hiccup, keeping his tone light hearted. Then cartoonishly looked around the living room but the feline is blending into the shadows perfectly and isn’t showing himself with so many strangers around. “If anyone sees a black cat, please don’t be startled, he’s rather harmless.”

Astrid glanced at her partner and placed a hand on his shoulder, giving him a light squeeze of encouragement, “My partner and I were in the area, and came by to see if you’re willing to trade.”

Throk’s dark eyes never left Astrid’s form since being introduced, only briefly did he glance at Hiccup when he mentioned Toothless, but his attention swivelled back to the shield maiden quickly afterwards. “You two don’t look like traders.”

“We’re not, we’re scavengers,” confirmed Astrid. Throk and his team hadn’t reacted nor said anything to the statement and the silence was testimony on how much their two groups still didn’t trust each other.

Glancing at Hiccup, she knew they didn’t have any more chances if the Defenders didn’t help them. When leaving the sorting facility that morning, they made the decision to carry only the essentials and nothing more, which limited what they had to offer in a trade. Did they have anything of value to this group? It was time to make a deal, and she refuse to walk away without getting anything.

“My partner here had an accident and he’s lost his leg. We’d like to get some help in getting him on his feet again.”

“I’d lose more than just my leg without you around,” joked Hiccup softly, as he untucked his leg from under the chair, showing their guests his stump.

The masked team, previously emotionless, each reacted differently to the exposed bandages where the limb abruptly stopped. A gasp could be heard and two of them actually took a step back. Though unlike his teammates, Throk leaned forward, clearly fascinated.

“Throk, it could be a bite,” warned a figure on the left, to which the red head waved away their concern.

“I’ve had some medical training, may I?”

“Knock yourself out,” replied Hiccup, raising his leg as Throk knelt in front of him, unravelling the bandages.

“Medicine won’t be cheap,” Throk said, glancing at Astrid.

“We don’t need that, it’s a peg leg or a pair of crutches that we’re looking for,” answered the blond, her blue eyes glowing as they reflected the fire. Axe still in hand, she was a stone guardian ready to have him pay retribution if Hiccup so much as showed a little discomfort.

“Hmm, the flesh is still warm to touch, swollen. Other than that, the puss is clear and the site seems to be healing. The inflammation seems to be just part of the regular healing process. No outward signs of the virus. Keep it clean and dry, and you’ll should be fine,” said Throk, rewrapping the bandages. He stood up and addressed the two. “We keep all visitors on the bridge for two days in isolation before we decide our course of action. You will be fed and water will be provided; I hope you will consent to our practices. Otherwise, we’ll politely request for you and your friend to vacate our territory in the morning.”

Hiccup looked to Astrid, he eyes eager and hopeful. He hadn’t dared think they would ever get so close to safety, and these two days were two more days where Astrid wouldn’t have to shoulder their safety alone. Giving them a time to catch their breath on this survival marathon they’ve been on since leaving Berk. On the other hand, she had much more experiences in dealing with other people and strange groups. He wouldn’t even dream of staying if she didn’t like how this colony was behaving.

Blue eyes met green and Hiccup knew the choice was made. “We accept your offer, just give us a minute to find Toothless.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, food is a HUGE part of my life and I love just spending time with others to enjoy a meal,
> 
> The dish I would miss the most in zombie apocalypse would be this thing called Fujian/Hokkien Fried Rice (depending on the language it's translated from its sometimes called Fukien Fried Rice on some menus)
> 
> So why I love it? (other than it's non-official spelling, duh?)
> 
> Its fried rice with a thick seafood sauce poured over it. The sauce also has bits of meat and bit sized vegetables in it.
> 
> This thing has everything! meat, vege, and carbs!!
> 
> What would you miss most in the post apocalyptic world?


End file.
